Agriculture
"Agriculture" is probably the oldest occupation on the Land, and remains the most fundamentally vital to survival. The following is a partial list of occupations under the heading of agriculture: Farmer There are still plenty of individuals or clans that maintain small farms which may largely provide for their own food, with plenty left over to sell at farmers' markets or to local indoor markets. However, the term "farmer" also applies to those who oversee large plantations, whether owned privately or by a larger business. Larger farms and plantations often do business with traders, who may simply act as a middleman with markets or even transport goods to other villages. While some farmers are relatively poor, others are among the richest people on the Land. In addition to crops, many small farmers have a number of livestock producing such things as meat, dairy, and eggs. Similarly, many large plantation owners are also ranchers. See also farmhand. Fisher Fishers, like farmers, may be independent and relatively poor, or may own larger businesses, with whole fleets of fishing boats. Hunter Hunting was an essential part of survival early in the Land's existence, though in modern times it is rare for people to make their living this way. It is more common for people to hunt as a means of providing food for their family, if they cannot easily afford meat from the markets. However, there are still places where hunting has not wholly been replaced by ranching as a means of acquiring meat and/or furs to sell to vendors or clothiers. (Trappers are also included under the term "hunter.") Orchardist While many farmers or ranchers may have small groves or a few scattered trees that produce fruit or nuts (just as many individuals or families may have a few trees on their property), the vast majority of the Land's fruits and nuts (as well as saps for making honey, syrup, and certain beverages) are grown in large orchards. Orchardists almost always sell their products through traders either to local markets or other villages. Because orchards are almost always of vast size, most orchardists are fairly wealthy. Rancher Ranchers raise livestock (such as cattle, curlycoats, katoro, or striders), which produce meat, dairy, eggs, furs, and hides, or in some cases provide labor. They may also have large plantations, though this is not always the case. Most modern ranches are fairly large, and therefore ranchers tend to be fairly wealthy (though the earliest ranches were barely more than small farms, by today's standards). Ranchers sell their products to traders, who in turn sell them in markets or to clothiers. Shepherd Someone who tends flocks of curlycoats, which may belong to him or his family, or may belong to someone else. It is an occupation which was far more common in the earliest days of the Land, when all livestock was considered to belong to the community as a whole. Since the advent of ranches, curlycoats tend to be raised alongside other types of livestock, and those who tend curlycoats are more commonly referred to simply as ranchers, in a broader sense. However, there are some who still use the term "shepherd," sometimes because they work for a ranch which raises curlycoats exclusively, and sometimes because they don't work for a ranch at all. Woodsman Woodsmen (also called woodcutters) cut down trees. They may use the wood for their own purposes such as construction or firewood, but mostly they sell to saw mills. Woodsmen may be independent or may work for larger forestry companies. Because of the essential nature of their work, they tend to be well paid, though not nearly well enough to become rich. However, it's not unheard of for some woodcutting clans to build up their business over the generations and eventually become wealthy. See also *List of jobs *Fauna of the Land *Flora of the Land Category:Culture